Allan Houser, American (1914-1994)

Offering the Sacred Pipe, 1980

1980.007.001

cast bronze, ed.# 1/3

Gift of Mary and W.D.  Kennedy

 

Questions to consider when visiting Allan Houser’s Offering the Sacred Pipe:

• Who is this the person in this sculpture?  What clues can you find that tell you about who he is, where he is from, and what his role is in his society?

• Look closely at his face and his body language.  What emotion do you think he is feeling?  How does it make you feel?

• How is he dressed?  What does that tell you about his culture or the time period he is from?

• What do you think this person is doing?  Are his actions special or are they a normal, everyday activity? How can you tell?

• How do you think the artist feels about this person and what he is doing?

 

Allan Houser, a Chiricahua Apache, was born in Apache, Oklahoma.  Offering of the Sacred Pipe is from an edition of three sculptures by Houser.  The two other sculptures are at home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and outside the United Nations Building in New York City. Houser said, “I work not just for myself, but to honor the American Indian.  I hope to draw attention to centuries-old Native American values, especially the concepts of living in harmony with nature, which can benefit all people.” 

 

For more information about Allan Houser and his work, please watch this video clip:

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